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ProSeries Frequently Asked Questions

Tip: Improving Network Performance

Products Affected:

• ProSeries/Network Version
• ProSeries Express/Network Version

For optimal performance ProSeries or ProSeries Express network software must be installed correctly and your network must be functioning properly. If you are experiencing poor network performance, you may find this network tip helpful.

Network Interface Hardware – Duplex Mismatch

A common cause of network performance issues on 10/100 Mb Ethernet links may occur when one port on the link operates at half-duplex while the other port operates at full-duplex.

To avoid duplex mismatch, make sure that the Network Interface Card (NIC) on each workstation and the server are set manually to the optimal settings based on your network interface hardware:

Note: We recommend that network modifications be done only by a trained network professional.

1. Have your network professional check the NIC properties and manually set the NIC's to the best speed supported by your hub, router, or switch.
2. Have your network professional select whether the NIC will operate at full-duplex or half-duplex.
3. If the NIC's are connected to a 10/100 hub (minimum requirement for ProSeries), set the NIC's to Speed & Duplex 100 megabits – Half-Duplex.
4. If the NIC's are connected to a 10/100 or 10/100/1000 Ethernet switch (10/100/1000 recommended), set the NIC's to Speed & Duplex 100 megabits – Full-Duplex.
5. Each port on the switch should be set to match the duplex settings on each NIC.
6. After you have set the NIC's to remove duplex mismatch, test which duplex settings work best for your network environment (full-duplex or half-duplex). In most cases, if you have the hardware to support 100 megabit full-duplex data transmission your computer will transmit data at up to 200 megabits per second using the 10/100/1000 switch. This means that your network will support hardware and software that can send and receive data at the same time.

Notes:

• 100 megabit – full-duplex is considered to be the faster network throughput and requires a switch or router / switch combination. The actual speed settings will usually follow suit. ProSeries does not recommend using less than a 100 megabit network interface.
• Half-duplex connections using a hub mean that the network can receive one stream of data at a time. So, data sent by one computer transmits to all computers on the network and the intended receiving computer. This computer must receive and verify the data it received before any computer can send to another computer. Data collisions can also occur during these half-duplex transmissions.
• Full-duplex network connections can both send and receive data at the same time and this data is sent at the maximum transfer speed each way without data collisions.

Additional Information

• How do I install ProSeries to a network?

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